


in cups of coffee

by intothewoodz



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, also seungyoun is a pouty baby, it's just a random selection of cute scenes loosely tied together by the presence of coffee, ryeonseung are addicted to caffeine and that's basically the entire fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:02:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intothewoodz/pseuds/intothewoodz
Summary: how do you measure a year?in daylights? in sunsets? in midnights? in cups of coffee?(how about love?)Alternatively, with Seungyoun being the co-owner of a coffee shop and Seungwoo’s reliance on coffee to function, it becomes one of the constants of their relationships, whether it’s just a normal day or even for special occasions.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	in cups of coffee

**Author's Note:**

> this was lowkey inspired by seungyoun drinking coffee at like 1am during a live (also, title and summary allude to seasons of love from rent bc i am a bit of a theatre nerd)
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoy fluffy ryeonseung <3

When Seungwoo emerges from the bedroom and into the kitchen, Seungyoun is already there.

“Good morning, babe,” he says, walking over and planting a kiss on his cheek. “What are you up to?”

“I’m making us coffee, so we can actually start to function,” he replies, as he measures out coffee beans on his kitchen scale. It may be early in the morning, but as the co-owner of a coffee shop, he thinks anything less would just be blasphemous. After all, what kind of fraud would he be if he made a living by selling perfectly brewed coffee all day, but didn’t even measure in his own home? Or worse, used pre-ground coffee? He shudders at just the thought.

Seungwoo practically moans at just the mention of coffee. “I love you so much, Youn.”

His boyfriend scoffs at him. “You know, sometimes I feel like you only date me because I make good coffee.”

“That’s not true, babe! I also date you for your money. My teacher salary doesn’t get me very far,” Seungwoo jokes.

Seungyoun gasps in indignation. “That’s it. You’re not getting coffee anymore.” He promptly stops his efforts of grinding the coffee and sets the burr grinder down on the table.

He’s about to walk away, but Seungwoo is quick to wrap his arms around him in a back hug, holding him in place. “No, I’m sorry. I was joking. I’ll never do it again, but please, I need my coffee!”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” he grumbles, picking the grinder back up and continuing his task. When he’s done, he sets up his Chemex and uses his gooseneck kettle to wet the grounds before letting it sit for a minute to let it bloom. The coffee aroma starts to spread across the room and it makes Seungwoo impatient.

“Isn’t it ready yet?” he whines.

“No! There’s a process, you can’t rush these things!” Seungyoun chides. “Besides, you’re already on thin ice, mister. I don’t think you’re in any position to complain right now.”

“Aw, is Younie still sulky?”

“I’m not!”

“You’re pouting.”

“If you don’t shut up, I will pour this hot water on you.”

“Hey! Would you really scald your own boyfriend with boiling water?”

“Technically, it’s slightly below boiling because otherwise it would burn the coffee.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Well, that’s what you get for teasing me this early in the morning,” he says, resuming his coffee routine, carefully pouring the water over the grounds. Seungwoo watches in admiration as his boyfriend skillfully moves in a circular motion around the circumference of the cone. Even in his pajamas with hair still ruffled from sleep, Seungyoun’s posture and stance give away his job as a barista.

“It’s ready,” Seungyoun announces. “Can you get the cups, hyung?”

Seungwoo nods and goes to retrieve their go-to mugs from their usual place on the drying rack, in use so often that they never quite get the chance to be returned to their designated place in the cupboards. They got them when they first started dating and went on a date at a pottery studio where they painted the designs themselves. Not the most skillfully decorated, but holding valuable memories nonetheless.

“There’s still plenty of time before we need to leave. You still haven’t showered right?” Seungwoo asks between sips of coffee.

Seungyoun nods in confirmation. “Do you want to join me?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

“As much as I’d love to, we don’t that quite _that_ much time.”

“You’re no fun,” Seungyoun pouts.

“It’s not my fault we have work!”

“Well, I’m technically my own boss, so no one can fire me if I’m a little late.”

“You’re only a co-owner. Hangyul can still kick your ass for it. And besides, _I_ can definitely be fired, so hurry up.”

“Meanie.” He’s still sulking as he stomps off to the bathroom.

Seungwoo can only chuckle at how adorably childish his boyfriend is. As he’s left alone, he turns to the fridge to see what he can make for breakfast. Their fridge has definitely seen better days, most of the shelves close to empty, so he settles on just toasting a few slices of bread and scrambling some eggs.

The eggs are basically done when he hears footsteps behind him and suddenly feels arms wrap around his waist.

“That was quick.”

“I missed you.”

“Youn, it’s been like five minutes. Also can you let go of me so I can plate these eggs before they burn?”

“Go ahead. I’m not stopping you,” he says cheekily.

Seungwoo cranes his neck to give his boyfriend an incredulous look. “Yes, because having you wrapped around me like a koala doesn’t restrict my movement at all.”

“Exactly.” Seungyoun squeezes him tighter, clearly feeling playful this morning.

Seungwoo scoffs at him and despite some difficulty, does manage to get the eggs on the plate while successfully avoiding any burns on both the food and the two of them.

“Come on, let’s eat fast before we’re late.”

Seungyoun reluctantly lets go of him and does as he’s told, but not without sulking about it.

Before they get out the door, Seungwoo makes sure to smother him with kisses until his pout is replaced with a smile.

* * *

It’s Saturday morning and Seungwoo wakes up to an empty bed, which isn’t unusual. Even on the weekends, Seungyoun has to go to work at the café, though a little bit later than normal. Sometimes Seungwoo will wake up with him out of force of habit, his body accustomed to waking up early. Today though, is not one of those days.

He checks the clock only to find that it’s already 11, much later than he normally sleeps in. While it may not seem abnormal for some people, since he regularly wakes up at 6 AM, this is actually quite jarring for him. Still, he did stay up rather late the previous night and it’s been an exhausting week.

He goes into the kitchen, a little bit disappointed when he remembers that he doesn't have Seungyoun to make him a steaming cup of coffee today.

Still, just because he won’t be spoiled with a fresh, hot cup of coffee doesn’t mean that Seungwoo won’t have coffee at all. Seungyoun knows that without him there, Seungwoo would just find another source of caffeine, like some cheap coffee from the convenience store nearby or worse, instant coffee, and in his words, “as the proud owner of a coffee shop, I can’t have my boyfriend drinking anything that disgraceful.”

As expected, when he opens the fridge he finds a full pot of cold brew prepared by the younger. Pouring himself a glass, he takes the first sip and finally feels a little bit more ready to start the day. He doesn’t know what he would do without caffeine, relying on it to function, but more importantly, he doesn’t know what he would do without Seungyoun.

* * *

The second that Seungwoo walks into the apartment, he’s immediately greeted by Seungyoun who runs over to the door to greet him.

“Hyung! You’re finally back!”

“Missed me that much?” he laughs.

“Yes, I missed you so, so much,” the younger says, smiling sweetly. Too sweetly.

Seungwoo sighs. “Okay, spill. What do you want from me?”

“Opps, I guess you caught me. Can you taste test some recipes for me?”

“Oh that’s it? Sure,” Seungwoo replies. “From the way you were acting, I thought it would’ve been much worse.”

“Well,” he starts nervously, “there might be one more thing.”

“Explain.”

“There is a possibility that our kitchen is in a complete state of chaos right now. Help me clean afterwards?”

“And why exactly do _I_ need to help clean up _your_ mess?”

“Because you love me and would do anything to help me?” He bats his eyelashes for extra measure.

“I can’t believe you,” Seungwoo scoffs.

“But you’ll help, right?”

“Okay, okay,” he relents. “But first, what are these drinks I need to taste test?”

Seungyoun leads him into the kitchen and he definitely wasn’t exaggerating when he said the kitchen was a mess. There’s not a single inch of open space left on the countertops, all of it occupied either by bowls, cups, or stray ingredients.

“Pretend you don’t see any of that,” Seungyoun says before he can comment on it, leading him to where a bunch of finished glasses are lined up. “Here.”

He takes a sip of the first one, in a cute mug with some foam on top. It’s cooled down a bit since when it was made, but it’s delicious nonetheless, a subtle floral aroma breaking through the taste of the coffee. “Oh, this one’s good. It’s very floral, is it rose or something?”

“It’s lavender! How’s the sweetness?”

“It’s not that sweet, but I like it that way. I think it suits it.”

Seungyoun quickly types something on his phone, probably making note of any adjustments he might make. Seungwoo admires how much thought his boyfriend puts into every single detail and he thinks his effort really does show. It makes him unbelievably proud.

The younger gestures for him to try the second drink, this time an iced one with what looks to be a thick cream topping and shards of caramel on top. He takes a skip and instantly feels the sugar hit him, definitely not his taste. Still, it’s rich and smooth against his tongue and he can see the appeal.

Seungyoun looks at him expectantly and he thinks it’s adorable the way the younger is watching for any sign of reaction. “It’s a little too sweet for me, but it’s good. I feel like it’d be popular with the young’uns.”

“The young’uns?” Seungyoun repeats, barely holding in his laughter.

“What? Do you have a problem with my word choice?”

“You sound like a grandpa and I’m only a few years younger than you, so by extension, you’re making _me_ sound like a grandpa.”

“Fine. If you don’t respect my evaluations, then I won’t help you anymore.”

“No, hyungg,” he whines. “I’m sorry, please help me. There’s just one more.”

“You owe me,” Seungwoo says with a roll of his eyes as he takes a sip of the last drink.

“Sure, anything you want, babe.”

* * *

Seungyoun isn’t home when Seungwoo gets back home, which is pretty rare. He’s not worried though, because the younger had texted him earlier to ask if he needed any groceries, so he assumes that’s where he is. This suspicion is confirmed when Seungyoun stumbles through the door shortly after, grocery bags in each hand.

Seeing him struggling to get his shoes off while carrying everything, he quickly goes over to help his boyfriend, setting the bags on the counter and starting to unpack them.

Everything is quite standard, some milk, eggs, fruit, but there’s one thing in particularly that he pulls out of the bag that has him frozen in shock.

“Cho Seungyoun,” he says, aghast. “Is this _instant coffee_?”

The way his boyfriend’s eyes widen in shock is almost comedic. “I can explain!” he cries frantically.

“Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

“Ah, hyung! Don’t be like this!” Seungyoun whines, trying to wrestle the container out of Seungwoo’s hands, but to no avail. Seungwoo holds it high above his head and defends against his attempts to grab at it.

“You’re telling me that the same Cho Seungyoun who snuck an entire coffee setup into his college dorm room because he refused to drink instant coffee, the same Cho Seungyoun who once called it, and I quote ‘a blasphemous imitation that disgraces the name of coffee,” and the same Cho Seungyoun who yelled at me and called me uncultured for drinking it, has now purchased instant coffee out of his own free will?”

If Seungwoo’s being honest, he really couldn’t care less about instant coffee. In fact, before he had met Seungyoun, he relied on it heavily in college for its cheap price and time efficiency. Still, the opportunity to tease his boyfriend about it is much too good to pass up and he’s incredibly amused by the way he’s currently whining out of shame and embarrassment.

“Seungwoo-hyung,” he pleads, giving his best puppy dog eyes.

Seungwoo’s not cruel, nor can he resist those eyes, so he relents and hands the container of instant coffee back to him, though the teasing smirk still doesn’t leave his face.

“You said you would explain,” Seungwoo prompts.

Seungyoun looks down at his feet sheepishly, as if he’s been caught red-handed committing some sort of horrible act. For Seungyoun who holds much pride in the quality of the coffee at his shop, it really is nothing short of that.

“You know the dalgona coffee trend that’s been popping up everywhere? Gyul said we should try to do something with it to compete with the other cafes. I was against it!”

“I’m sure you were babe.”

“You’re making fun of me,” Seungyoun pouts.

“I was agreeing with you!”

Seungyoun is still moping though, so Seungwoo wraps his arms around him in a back hug, planting kisses at the top of his head as Seungyoun tries to squirm out of his hold.

“How about this?” Seungwoo starts, trying to appease his adorably sulky boyfriend. “I’ll make the dalgona coffee for you and you won’t have to sully your hands with instant coffee. You won’t even have to look at it.”

His tone is sarcastic, clearly joking but Seungyoun looks up at him with genuine relief anyway. “You would do that for me?”

Seungwoo chuckles because, the truth is, he can’t think of something that he wouldn’t do for Seungyoun. “Of course, babe.”

“I love you.”

“You’re insufferable, but I love you too.”

* * *

“Cheers,” they say in unison, raising their glasses. It took some effort to find them from where they were buried in the back of their cupboards, but they’ve decided to break out the fancy cocktail glasses that they only bother to use for the most special occasions.

Today is in fact an extremely special occasion though. It’s the day of their fifth anniversary as a couple.

Seungwoo takes a sip of the drink and immediately becomes hooked to the taste. There’s a comforting sweetness that soothes the slight burn of the vodka and, most importantly, the familiar taste of pleasantly bitter coffee. After all, there’s really no better choice than an espresso martini for a celebration between two coffee addicts.

Seungwoo’s a bit fidgety today and as much as he’d love to blame it on the effects of the caffeine, he knows that it’s not the real cause. He makes a conscious effort to stop the tapping of his fingers, knowing that Seungyoun will easily see through his nervous habit, but it proves to be difficult. He figures more alcohol might help to relax his nerves, but he starts to lose track of just how many sips he’s taking.

“Slow down, hyung. You’re practically inhaling it,” Seungyoun laughs.

It turns out that Seungyoun’s smiling face does a much better job at soothing his nerves than the alcohol ever could. He chuckles back, “I can’t help it! You made it too well!”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Maybe you guys should consider turning the café into a bar.”

“While I’m flattered you think so highly of my bartending skills, I think business is great as it is now.”

“That’s true. Now that I think about it, if you worked late hours then I’d never be able to see you and we wouldn’t be able to do things like this.” Seungwoo frowns. “I don’t want that.”

“Relax, hyung. It’s not actually happening. We can stay just the way we are.”

“Yeah,” Seungwooo says, with less confidence than he would’ve liked.

After all, he doesn’t exactly want things to stay the way the are.

There are a million things about this moment, about Seungyoun, about them, that he never wants to change. The way that an anniversary spent in their own home feels so much more special than an extravagant dinner outside just because they’re with each other. The way that Seungyoun’s laughter instantly eases all of his worries because being with him makes him feel unconditionally safe and comfortable. The way that they’re so madly in love with each other.

But there’s still one thing he wants to change.

He wants to be able to experience all of those things not with Seungyoun as his boyfriend, but as his _husband_.

All of a sudden, Seungwoo’s nerves start rushing back in and he absentmindedly fiddles with his pocket, feeling the shape of the small box hidden there. He bought it months ago, but could never find the courage to actually ask, always using the excuse that he was waiting for a special occasion. He doesn’t want it to be any less than perfect, but he also doesn’t want to have to wait any longer. That’s why he has to do it today.

“Maybe we are getting old,” Seungyoun comments out of nowhere.

It’s not uncommon for Seungwoo to make jokes about his age, but they’re usually met with resistance from Seungyoun who thinks he’s ridiculous for it, so Seungwoo is admittedly curious about what caused this change of heart.

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s our fifth anniversary and we’re just sitting at home.”

“As opposed to what? Sitting in someone else’s home?”

“You know that’s not what I meant! It’s just, most people would probably go out and do something big for an occasion as big as this.”

“Do you regret not doing that? Would you have liked that better?”

“No, I like it this way. I like anywhere as long as it’s with you.”

Seungwoo laughs. “Is it our anniversary that’s making you so cheesy today?”

“Rude,” Seungyoun pouts. “As a good boyfriend, you should agree with me. Or at least not make fun of me.”

“Sorry, my bad,” Seungwoo says, though he doesn’t seem apologetic at all, the chuckle in his voice and fond smile on his face giving him away. Still, this is his chance. “I like anywhere as long as it’s with you too.”

He stands up from the table, earning him a questioning glance from his boyfriend, but he disregards it and continues on. “Seungyoun-ah, I love you so much. If staying in instead of going out to celebrate makes us old, then I’m okay with that, as long as I get to grow old together with you.”

“Seungwoo-hyung, stop talking about us being old,” Seungyoun laughs, cutting him off.

Seungwoo let’s out an annoyed “humph” in response. “You were the one who brought it up first! Don’t interrupt my grand speech! I’m trying to tell you how much I love you!”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, babe.”

Seungwoo gets down on one knee and finally pulls out the small box he’s been hiding in his pocket. He takes one last deep breath to settle his nerves because there’s no putting it off any longer. It’s now or never.

“As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me,” He starts sarcastically, shooting Seungyoun a look before continuing, “I love you so much. I can’t deny that I love waking up to the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, but that’s nothing in comparison to being able to wake up next to _you._ I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you, so I guess what I’m trying to say is, Cho Seungyoun, will you marry me?”

Without even giving him a proper response, Seungyoun cups his hands around his face pulls him up to kiss him. Despite the initial surprise, Seungwoo quickly melts into the kiss, tangling his free hand in Seungyoun’s hair while the other still clutches onto the small jewelry box.

“So can I assume that’s a yes?” he chuckles when they finally pull apart.

“Yes, you idiot.”

“You’re the one who is agreeing to marry this idiot, so who’s the idiot now?”

“Still you. It took you long enough,” Seungyoun huffs as Seungwoo carefully slides the engagement ring onto his finger. “If you waited any longer, I would’ve proposed first.”

Seungwoo scoffs in response. “Since you have so many complaints, then maybe you should have.” Still, he knows the wide smile on his face gives him away as he lets Seungyoun put on his ring for him in return.

“I’m just saying, you had the rings for _months_ and—”

“Wait. How do you know that?”

Seungyoun rolls his eyes at him. “Hyung, you’re not that subtle. Plus, you didn’t choose the best hiding spot. I accidentally found them when I was cleaning one day.”

“But you never clean.”

“Hey! I resent that!”

“Fine. You _rarely_ clean.”

Seungyoun just pouts in response, petulantly turning his head to the side to avoid looking at Seungwoo who just laughs at his childish antics.

“Come on, babe. Don’t get sulky on me. We’re supposed to be celebrating,” Seungwoo reasons.

No response.

At his silence, Seungwoo takes Seungyoun’s left hand and brings it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss right where the newly placed ring is.

Seungyoun reluctantly turns his head back to face him, though he’s clearly still sulky. “If you’re gonna do that, at least kiss me properly,” he pouts.

“I had to get you to look at me first, didn’t I,” Seungwoo chuckles in response, but still going along with it and pulling his _fiancé_ into a kiss, effectively removing the cute pout from his face. “Happy now?”

“Yeah,” Seungyoun nods cheerfully, his grumpiness from a moment ago completely forgotten. “I’m really happy, hyung.”

“Good. I’m happy too.”

Seungyoun takes a step closer to Seungwoo, leaning onto him and nuzzling his face in his neck. “We’re engaged,” he says so quietly that it would be inaudible if he weren’t right next to his ear.

“Yes, we are.”

“It’s just—it doesn’t feel real yet.”

“Well, it is. Now, you’re stuck with me _forever_.”

“I think I can live with that,” Seungyoun smiles brightly at him, gaze full of love.

Staring back at his fiancé, Seungwoo thinks that Seungyoun is really all he needs in life to be able to conquer whatever the coming days may bring.

Well, maybe Seungyoun and a cup of coffee.

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it here, thank you for reading <3
> 
> fun fact: i had to research all the technical coffee stuff bc i am a person who puts an ungodly amount of creamer into my coffee and the youn of this universe would probably hate me for it T^T
> 
> i would be very happy if you left me a comment!!! and come be my friend on twt @wooloodz


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